


Starry Nights

by padfootagain



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Narnia, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-15 04:52:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16926858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootagain/pseuds/padfootagain
Summary: Daughter of a star, you are forced to live on an island that you cannot leave. But when Prince Caspian is about to get killed, you decide to use your powers to warn him. Years later, his path leads him to your shore. Will he remember that girl who saved his life by walking in one of his dreams?





	1. Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Series complete. Fluff and a bit of angst. I hope you like it!

Caspian was asleep. He was lying there, in the grass, lost in the middle of the forest. Next to him, the fire had since long died out, and only some dark smoke was coming out of the logs now. In his dream he was back in the Castle, and Miraz was just bad memory.

Although, in reality, Miraz was everything but a memory, his men looking for the Prince throughout the Kingdom. And there was no wonder at what would happen to the young Prince if his uncle’s men found him here, surrounded by talking animals and centaurs and minotaurs and dwarves…

It was strange to think that he was literally living inside an old tale.

He had fought against sleep for a long while, too scarred of being discovered in this clearing. But he was exhausted, and eventually, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes open and had surrendered to a peaceful slumber.

But then something very soft brushed against his cheek, like some fresh breeze, or a piece of velvet… it was as light as a feather but he felt it, and the tickling sensation that ran across his face was enough to tear him away from his dreams. Slowly, he lifted up his eyelids, blinking to chase away tiredness from his eyes. The trees around him took shape, he recognized the dead fire, and he could hear a minotaur snoring loudly next to him. But something moved, and he caught some kind of light at the corner of his eyes. Slowly, he turned around… and remained frozen.

A young woman was standing there, all draped in a long white dress. He drank in the sight of you as you stood there, barefoot, looking at him, apparently waiting for him to fully wake up. Caspian stood up in a hurry, staggering, before he would finally find his balance and stand before you, his dark eyes still slightly round in awe.

He had never seen anyone as beautiful in his entire life…

And there was this shy light that seemed to ooze from you, chasing away the night around you. There was this wild glint in your eyes, and this softness painted on your graceful face…

He could barely breathe.

“Who are you?” he asked after what seemed like forever.

“My name is not important,” you answered elusively.

“To me it is,” he breathed.

“You must go,” you said, ignoring his remark, and there was fear now in your eyes. “You must wake up and guide your friends out of the clearing.”

“What do you mean? Why?”

“The soldiers your uncle sent to chase you down are approaching. They are heading your way. You have little time before they find you. You must go, and hide further in the forest while you still have time.”

“Who are you?”

You gave him a small smile.

“Someone who still has hope for a free Narnia.”

You looked on your right, as if you had caught some strange noise coming from this direction, and when you looked back at the Prince, you seemed horrified.

“They’re closing on you, you must go,” you urged him.

“Will I ever see you again?”

“I don’t know…”

You took a step closer to him, your eyes begging now.

“Please, they can’t find you here. You must wake up. Wake up now.”

Caspian felt himself growing weaker and weaker, until he fell to the floor…

The next second, he jolted upright, finally waking up in a hurry. He heard the distant sound of a shout…

He looked around him, staring at the place where you had stood just seconds before. But there was no light there anymore, only a dark void instead of your graceful shape. He shook himself, remembering your words of warning.

He woke up the Narnians around him quickly, ordering them to remain silent, and they hid further away, using the cover of great rocks to shelter themselves from the sight of any enemy coming their way.

And indeed, just a few minutes later, Telmarines were walking through the clearing. But they passed without seeing Caspian and his troops, and the Prince heaved a sigh of relief when the soldiers were finally out of sight.

You had saved his life, without a doubt…

———————————————————————————–

After the war against Miraz, after Caspian was crowned King, after peace was restored throughout Narnia, Caspian had still not forgotten this dream of his you had walked into. Often at night, he dreamt about you. He could see your face glimmering shyly, surrounded by shadows, a small smile on your lips. But he couldn’t talk to you, nor touch you. You were like a picture, motionless and distant. You were just a memory he kept close to his heart.

But even if time passed and slipped between his fingers like mere sand, he never forgot you.

He didn’t know your name, he didn’t know who you were, he had no way to find you. After a while, he even started to doubt that you were real at all. Perhaps you were just coming from his imagination.

But you didn’t feel like a dream. You felt like a memory. A memory that he longed to run to every night, but that hurt him as well, haunting him. And sometimes, he wish he could forget you.

Because he saw your face in every crowd, and in the stars through the inky sky, and everywhere he walked you kept following him.

His advisors were pressing him to choose a wife and have an heir, such ensuring the future of the crown. But he couldn’t. Every time he met a princess or a lady, he thought of you. He remembered how beautiful you were, how wild you seemed to be. You reminded him of the sea. You seemed free and untamable, strong and yet fragile all at once. He longed to hear your laugh, and see how bright your smiles were.

How could any woman compete with you? You never left his mind.

For three years he tried to forget you, for three years he failed every single time.

And at night you were walking in his dreams again and again. Always the same scene playing in repeat, always the same urging voice, always the same small smile, always the same fear painted in your eyes.

When he left on the Dawn Trader, looking for his father’s friends, he also hoped that spending some time away at sea would help him to clear his mind. He hoped that the sea would make him forget you.

By then, he had lost all hope of ever seeing you again. He had tried to look after you, he had searched through his entire kingdom. But he couldn’t find you anywhere but in his mind, and now he was just desperate to forget your face. The pain was too much to bear now, despite how sweet his dreams of you were.

Then Lucy and Edmund had arrived, along with their cousin Eustace, and Caspian’s travel to the Lone Islands turned into this chase after swords and long forgotten lands.

After a few weeks, Caspian and his men finally reached Ramandu’s Island. But one sword was still missing.

He looked in awe when their guide fell from the sky, taking the shape of a young and beautiful woman, that seemed to shine with a shy blue light.

And then…

Then you appeared next to Liliandil, walking out of nowhere…

And Caspian remained speechless.

When he saw you standing there he thought he was lost into a dream again. Perhaps the months spent at sea had won, and he had lost his mind. Perhaps he was having hallucinations. Perhaps you weren’t real, and it was just one more trap set onto his path. Because you couldn’t possibly be real…

It seemed to him that you were shining, just like he remembered from his dream. A shy, almost invisible light that emanated from your frame, burning the shadows of the night around you. You were beautiful, a beauty that shone, that seemed too bright for this world. You didn’t seem to be real…

Caspian started when Liliandil spoke again.

“This is Y/N,” she said, resting her hand on your shoulder. “She’s a very good friend of mine.”

“Are you a star too?” Edmund asked, his voice a bit hoarse.

“I am,” you nodded.

The sound of your voice sent shivers throughout Caspian’s entire body.

“You will have to be careful,” you said, looking at the three Kings and Queen. “Evil will be hard to defeat. It will take shapes your mind dread most of all.”

Your eyes lingered on Caspian. He was motionless, like transfixed, intensely staring at you.

“You must be strong,” Liliandil nodded. “You must bring the last sword and put it down on Aslan’s table.”

“It’s the only way,” you added, emphasizing your words.

The King’s dark eyes were fixed on yours, and you found yourself trapped in these two orbs. For some reason, you felt a very strange sensation in your chest, your heart beating a bit faster…

“You must hurry, there is very little time left,” Liliandil urged the travelers.

Caspian jumped again when Lucy rested her hand on his shoulder.

“We should go then,” she said.

But Caspian hadn’t spoken a word yet. He had been too mesmerized by you when he wanted so much to tell you something, anything…

“I hope we meet again,” he breathed, his voice hoarse.

He was staring at you, and you knew he was speaking to you, and only to you.

“I hope we do meet again,” you nodded. “If you have reached this island, it means that you are capable of great courage. I am sure you can defeat this evil.”

He nodded slowly, very slowly, as if he was lost between reality and a far away land built in his own mind…

Next to him, Edmund cleared his throat.

“You are very beautiful, Lady Y/N,” he said.

“Thank you,” you breathed, blushing hard.

“I hope that if we come back, we will be able to know each other better.”

Caspian turned his attention to the young King next to him, frowning hard.

“You will have to complete your mission first,” you answered elusively.

Caspian looked at you again, and you could read some fear in his eyes. As if… Edmund’s words had scared him.

“Come on, we must go now,” Lucy insisted.

She pulled on Caspian’s arm, and he turned around to follow her, Edmund walking with the two of them as well.

But before he would walk away from Aslan’s table, Caspian turned around one last time.

And it was upon you that his eyes landed and lingered until he was devoured by the shadows of the night and fell out of your sight.

————————————————————————————————-

Edmund watch Caspian for a while. The King was attaching his armour, getting ready for the fight that awaited them. He had remained mostly silent since they had left Ramandu’s Island, as if he was troubled, but not by this enemy they had to fight.

“Caspian?” he called his friend softly.

“Yes, Ed?”

“What troubles you so much?” the King of old asked bluntly.

But Caspian clenched his jaw and looked down at his feet, remaining silent.

“You’ve barely spoken a word since we left this island, and I know it’s not because of where we are heading,” Edmund insisted. “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s nothing, Ed. I was just… thinking about old memories of mine. It’s not important.”

“It seems to trouble you a lot.”

“I’m fine, Ed. But thank you for your concern.”

Edmund nodded, deciding that it was better to drop the subject.

“I hope Liliandil and Y/N will still be on the island when we come back,” Edmund said.

Caspian looked up at him again.

“Why?” he asked softly, his tone cautious.

“Have you seen them?” Edmund asked back, smiling. “I mean… Y/N seems…”

He let out a chuckle, but Caspian was not laughing at all.

“You’ll soon be gone, Ed.”

The younger King narrowed his eyes.

“You want us to leave?” he asked, his tone more bitter than he intended.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Caspian shook his head. “Of course I don’t want you to leave. But I don’t think that Aslan will make you stay, do you?”

Edmund merely shrugged.

“Perhaps I won’t have to leave right after the battle.”

“But if you leave then what happens?”

“It’s none of your concern anyway, Caspian.”

The King clenched his jaw, fastening the leather maintaining his armour against his chest.

“I saw Y/N before,” Caspian said slowly. “In a dream.”

“What?” Ed asked, chuckling.

“It was a long time ago,” Caspian went on. “When I was hiding from my uncle. She kind of… walked into my dream, to warn me that some soldiers were walking towards me and my troops. That I had to wake up and hide.”

“And?” Edmund encouraged the King to go on.

“And we didn’t die that night, we hid before Miraz’s men arrived.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with anything.”

“I don’t want you to hurt her.”

Edmund looked carefully at his friend.

“You like her,” Edmund said slowly, reading through the King, even if he didn’t find the truth yet about Caspian’s feelings for you.

“I don’t like her,” Caspian mumbled, attaching his hair to make sure his long dark locks would not fall onto his face as he fought.

“I guess we’ll be two on the chase then,” Edmund said slowly.

The two Kings stared at each other for a long moment.

“You can’t be serious, have you listened to anything I said?” Caspian asked, frowning hard.

“I think we should let her choose.”

“Edmund, it’s ridiculous.”

“What now… are you afraid of me?”

“It’s stupid. You’ll hurt her in the end.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“No, you’re the one who is not taking this situation seriously.”

“We’ll see which of us she chooses in the end.”

“What makes you think she would choose any of us at all?” Caspian replied. “We are mortal men, and she’s a star… she could have much better, don’t you think.”

“I can be persuasive. But if you don’t want to enter the game, then it’s fine.”

“Ed…”

“You’re taking this too seriously, Caspian.”

“You can’t do this.”

Caspian’s voice was cold now, firm, the kind of voice he used when he gave orders as a King, not when he gave advices as a friend.

And Edmund didn’t like this tone at all.

“I’m not one of your subject,” Edmund reminded the King before him.

Caspian merely clenched his jaw a bit more tightly.

“I am a King too, remember?” the boy went on. “And you can’t give me orders.”

Again, Caspian didn’t say a word.

“If you choose not to try anything with Y/N, then it’s your decision, and I respect it,” Edmund went on. “But you can’t force me to act the same.”

“She deserves better than anything any of us could ever give her,” Caspian said slowly, his voice still made of steel. “What will happen to her once you’re gone?”

“Perhaps I won’t leave.”

“But what if you do?”

“Or perhaps you don’t care much about her well-being, and you just don’t want any rival.”

“Don’t be ridiculous…”

“It’s far from being stupid…”

“Ed, stop.”

Caspian heaved a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

“We can’t think like that now. We can’t fight each other, not when we are about to face the kind of enemy we are about to fight,” he said, his voice soothing now. “I don’t want us to fight, Ed. You’re like a brother to me.”

“You’re like a brother to me as well, Caspian,” Ed nodded.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. We’ll see about that when everything is over. What do you think?”

Edmund nodded slowly.

“You’re right. You’re right of course.”

But something was telling Caspian that this discussion was far from over…


	2. Struggles

They did come back from their fight against evil. They did save the Narnians who had been offered in sacrifice to these green clouds of smoke. They did bring back the last sword to Aslan’s table. They did guide their broken boat back to Ramandu’s Island.

And you were standing there, at the edge of the cliff to watch them as they came closer and closer to the island.

You hoped that none of them were hurt. You hoped that _he_ was not hurt…

You ran down the mountain, hurrying towards the creek you knew they would reach in any minute now.

People were climbing down the longboats already, finding shelter on the beach. Liliandil was already there, helping them to reach the shore.

You looked for the Kings and Queens in the midst of happy and relieved people who were walking towards you.

You couldn’t refrain a sigh when you saw them jumping out of one of the longboats, helping the former hostages to walk to the shore.

They walked towards Liliandil, and you hurried towards your friend as well to listen to the words they would speak to her.

“We are sorry to arrive like this,” Caspian said softly, as if he was afraid that you would not let him and his countrymen stay. “But the boat suffered damages we need to repair if we want to reach safely Narnia again…”

“Of course, you can stay as long as it is necessary,” Liliandil interrupted him with a reassuring smile.

Caspian thanked the star for her hospitality, and his eyes finally found yours. You saw a smile slowly form on his face.

“Do any of you require medical attention?” you asked before he could have a chance to speak.

“We are just fine, Lady Y/N,” Edmund answered.

Caspian looked cautiously at the boy. Edmund was smiling at you, and you seemed to blush under his intense stare.

Caspian merely looked down at his shoes.

“I’ll tell my men to start to repair the ship in the morning, if you agree,” he told the blue star. We are all most weary, and we will all need a good night of sleep.“

“Of course.”

“Can we stay on the beach for the night?”

“Yes. And there will always be food at Aslan’s table. You can all go eat if you’d like.”

“Thank you.”

He looked at you as he walked further away on the beach, closely followed by Lucy. But Edmund remained standing before you.

“I was wondering, Lady Y/N,” he said, his voice full of confidence. “Do you think we could talk later tonight?”

You smiled.

“I reckon you will need to sleep, Your Highness,” you answered. “Tomorrow maybe, once you are rested.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow then,” Edmund nodded, apparently satisfied, before he would walk away, following Caspian and his younger sister.

Liliandil looked at you cautiously.

“Be careful, Y/N,” she said softly. “Men often fail to act with reason when it comes to women. That’s what father kept on telling me.”

“I will be careful.”

She nodded, giving you a little smile.

But she wondered if you really could be careful this time…

—————————————————————————————

You walked away from Aslan’s table. You were tired, and longed for silent and peace. The men and women you had been helping were merry and willing to celebrate their victory, and you understood their state of mind perfectly. But you were not used to be surrounded by so many people. You lived a rather lonely life, with Liliandil as your only friend. Although, it had never bothered you. You liked being alone. You liked losing yourself in your own thoughts. You liked watching the sea for hours, listening to the shushed whispers of the wind in the branches.

It was almost night now, the sun was slowly setting, bathing the world in golden and red lights. You climbed up on a rock and sat down, watching the distant island that got lost in the glimmering lights of twilight. There was no dark clouds around the island now. Evil was gone. It felt strange to think that there was no threat left in the distance, a threat you had watched grow for years. And now it was gone.

“May I?”

The deep voice made you jump. You looked down at Caspian, nodding, and he climbed up on the rock to come sitting next to you.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized.

You merely gave him a smile.

“Are you okay? You’re unhurt?” you asked him.

But he nodded, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Merely a few bruises. I’m just fine.”

“How is it out there?” you asked, turning your gaze towards the ocean again.

“What do you mean?” Caspian asked softly.

“In Narnia. How is it? I’ve only been there in dreams.”

“It’s a good place to live,” Caspian smiled.

You could feel his intense stare set upon you. With the fading light, his irises were almost black. You cleared your throat.

“I wish I could go there one day,” you breathed, a dreamy expression on your face.

“Well… you will always be welcomed there,” he promised.

He set his dark eyes on the infinite ocean as well, taking a deep breath before diving.

“I’ve never had the chance to thank you,” he said slowly, his tone cautious.

“For what?”

He stared at you again.

“You saved my life.”

You couldn’t ignore his gaze anymore, so you looked at him as well, your eyes resting upon his.

“That night… I don’t know how you did it but… you… walked into my dream,” Caspian stuttered. “You walked into my dream and you saved me. You forced me to wake up, do you remember?”

You shrugged.

Of course you remembered. But you were not sure how you were supposed to react to this…

He seemed disappointed, understanding that you didn’t remember him. Perhaps you had done this for many others, warning people to protect them. Perhaps he wasn’t as special to you as he had first thought. He had imagined that if you had saved him, you cared about him. Perhaps he was just being a fool…

“Well… I remember,” he breathed. “I never forgot you.”

You both remained frozen for a moment, staring intensely at each other, and you could see that his cheeks were slightly flushed.

“I do remember,” you admitted.

He smiled.

“Well, thank you,” he said. “You saved me and my men that night.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this though.”

“Why not?”

“I was not allowed to help you that night. I broke a rule. I’d rather not have Liliandil give me a lecture.”

You both chuckled.

“How did you do this?” he asked. “How did you enter my dreams?”

“Stars are a bit magic, you know?” you merely answered, shrugging.

You shared a warm smile.

“I guess I should thank you as well,” you said. “For defeating this enemy today. I reckon you saved us all.”

“I have very little to do with this,” Caspian answered, and you could see that he was blushing.

“You underestimate yourself. You did save us today.”

You stood up, and he did the same, still staring at you.

“You must be tired. We should go to sleep.”

“It’s not night yet,” he protested.

You could see that he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay with you for a while. It was a strange sensation, to see this glint in his eyes, as if you mattered to him. Even if you barely knew each other…

“Show me your favourite place on the Island,” he proposed. “Who knows, maybe one day I’ll show you my favourite place in Narnia.”

You pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear, hesitating. But what risks were there in taking a walk with him?

“All right,” you nodded slowly.

A grin formed on his face.

“It’s not far from here,” you reassured him, starting to walk down the cliff.

“Y/N, I was…”

But he stopped abruptly, looking cautiously at you.

“Can I call you Y/N?” he asked, his cheeks reddening again.

“Well, it is my name,” you answered with an amused smile.

“I mean… without calling you ‘Lady’.”

“Oh… of course. Does that mean that I don’t have to call you ‘King’?”

He laughed, nodding. You seemed a bit naive, although, he guessed that you were stronger than you seemed to be.

“Of course you can,” he said. “Where are you taking me?”

He was following you down the cliff, on a very narrow path that ran down the sharp rocks.

“A creek, not far from here,” you smiled.

“Have you ever left this island?”

You shook your head.

“This is where the stars dwell.”

“Aren’t you curious to see the rest of the world?”

“I am,” you admitted. “But I am not allowed to leave. Except in dreams.”

“But dreams aren’t real. Reality and dreams… they are two very different things. I know something about that.”

You finally reached the sand of the beach, and you waited for Caspian to catch up on you, his movements more hesitant, more cautious than you. After all, you had taken this path so many times before…

You took his hand, guiding him through the sand.

“What did you mean?” you asked, not realizing that your fingers wrapped around his was making it hard for him to breathe. “About dreams and reality.”

“Well… sometimes we dream about some things. And when they come true… sometimes they’re better than what we had imagined, and sometimes we’re disappointed. But they’re never exactly like what we had dreamt of.”

“We first met in one of your dreams,” you said slowly.

“Indeed,” he nodded, looking cautiously at you.

“Are you disappointed of meeting me in real?”

You looked at him, earnestly concerned. But Caspian smiled, shaking his head.

“Not at all, Y/N. I’m not disappointed at all.”

You grinned.

“I’m not disappointed either, for now,” you joked.

You both laughed, and finally arrived to this little creek you loved so much. It was like a sanctuary to you. It had nothing in particular, just a circular piece of sand, stuck between the calm sea and the sharp rocks of the cliff. There was an old willow at one end of the creek, and you guided Caspian under the falling branches. You sat down under the tree, the long branches partially hiding the ocean that spread, infinite, in front of you.

“Why do you like this place so much?” Caspian asked.

“I don’t really know,” you answered earnestly. “But I feel peaceful here.”

He stared at you for a while, as you watched the waves crashing against the sand. Night had fallen now, and the shy light that emanated from you seemed to scare the shadows of this world away. A dreamy smile formed on his face.

You looked much like the first night he had seen you, in this clearing, preparing for a war. Only, you were real now, palpable. You weren’t just light, you were flesh and bones as well.

You suddenly turned towards him, an eager expression on your face.

“Tell me about your land,” you said.

He laughed.

“What would you like to know?”

“Everything!”

“I’m afraid even I don’t know everything about Narnia.”

“I don’t know then… just tell me some stories.”

“All right…”

He spent most of the time telling you stories and legends of Narnia, and all along you listened with an eagerness that transpired in the glint alit in your eyes. Only after several hours did you lie down in the sand, and you were quickly lost to slumber.

Caspian didn’t dare to touch your arm. He wanted to, and he fought so violently against himself not to let his fingertips rest upon your skin… But he didn’t reckon that he was supposed to act like this.

You were a star and he was nothing but a man struggling to be strong enough to be King. You were shining and he drowned in the shadows of his own past. You deserved much better than him.

So he lied down next to you, watching your peaceful expression until he finally fell asleep as well.

——————————————————————————————-

When he woke up the next morning you were already gone. As if he was walking out of a dream, left with only an empty space next to him instead of your body.

He heard someone clearing his throat behind him, and he quickly sat up, his head spinning slightly as he struggled to chase sleep away from his blurred mind.

Edmund was standing there, looking down at Caspian.

“Lucy was worried about you,” he admonished. “She and Eustace went looking for you all around the island.”

“I just fell asleep here,” Caspian answered, his voice still hoarse with sleep.

“I saw you leaving with Y/N last night,” Edmund said slowly. “You didn’t lose any time…”

“Don’t be stupid,” Caspian replied, standing up and chasing the sand away from his clothes and hair. “We just talked and we both fell asleep.”

“I reckon you should be careful too,” Edmund said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not supposed to stay here either, Caspian.”

They stared at each other for a while.

“At least I’m honest with myself,” Edmund said slowly. “I know that if anything happens between me and Y/N, it will only be a fling. But you seem to be falling for her…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You were the one who said that we didn’t deserve her.”

“I know. And I meant what I said.”

“What makes you think that she will follow you if you leave this Island? It’s her home.”

Caspian didn’t answer, and Edmund took a step closer to him, resting a soothing hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not saying that to hurt you,” he said softly.

“I know perfectly what the situation is, Ed.”

“I’m not so sure… I don’t think you’ll ever be able to take her away from here. She loves this place too much for that.”

“How can you know that?”

“She showed me around the Island this morning. It was obvious. She loves this place. Are you sure you can convince her to leave this place behind to follow you to Narnia?”

Caspian rubbed his eyes, heaving a sigh.

His head kept on telling him that nothing could ever happen between you and him. Reason commanded him to stop looking at you the way he did, to repair his broken boat as fast as he could, and sail back to Narnia, never to return to this island again.

Although… his heart was whispering other words to his ear. Words full of a crazy hope. Words full of dreams left on the sand…

And he couldn’t decide which voice he ought to listen to.

“I don’t know, Ed. I don’t know… anything anymore,” he admitted.

“You won’t be together happily ever after, Caspian.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because you don’t have the nerves to tell her how you feel anyway.”

The two young men stared at each other in silence for a while.

“It’s not a question of nerves,” Caspian said slowly, his voice colder than he had intended.

“It’s a question of confidence,” Edmund went on. “And you are not confident in the fact that you deserve her and could one day be with her. Am I wrong?”

He shrugged, letting his words sink in. He could see that Caspian struggled to cope with the truth Edmund had just thrown at his face. Because deep down, Caspian knew the boy was right.

“At least I don’t wrap myself in illusions,” Edmund went on. “I know I’ll be leaving soon. The truth is, I’m not sure I’ll ever come back. And you can say I’m acting selfishly by trying to have a fling with her, but even if you stay in this world, you won’t have more than a fling with her either, Caspian. And I think you need to see the truth.”


	3. Coral Hearts

Edmund had been insistent on spending time with you since he had come back to the island. You were wondering why he acted this way. You were afraid his intentions were not only friendly. Never before had you been confronted to this kind of situation, you had no idea how to react.

But then Caspian had craved for time with you as well, so you guessed that it was merely a friendly gesture, from both of them.

You couldn’t be more wrong of course, but how could a naive heart such as yours guess the truth? You had seen Narnia only through dreams. Your tangible world didn’t expand beyond this rocky island and its waters full of coral. There was nothing else in your reality.

You shrugged, pushing your thoughts away. Instead of thinking about the two men, you started to hum to yourself a soft song. You were helping Eustace and Lucy to repair the sails that had been torn apart during their fight against Evil.

And for what seemed to be the hundredth time, Eustace cried out, his finger flying up to his mouth.

“How can you have hurt yourself _again_!” Lucy exclaimed, laughing.

“It’s not funny,” Eustace protested, frowning hard, his voice childish now. “This needle is too sharp, that’s all.”

“If it’s not sharp, it’s not efficient,” you replied, laughing just as much as Lucy.

Eustace mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, only making you and the Queen of Old laugh harder.

The three of you turned around at the sound of footsteps approaching.

“Are you already done?” Edmund asked with a smile. “The mast is repaired.”

“We should soon be finished,” Lucy nodded.

“I’m taking a break, repairing the mast was most tiring,” Edmund said slowly, looking at you. “Would you mind taking a walk with me?”

You looked up at him, shrugging, before looking questioningly at Lucy, but the girl gave you a bright smile.

“Don’t worry, we’ll finish this,” she told you.

So you stood up, and followed Edmund as he walked towards the beach.

The sun was shining brightly above the two of you, the rays warm upon your skin, and a thin layer of sweat covered Edmund’s brow. The sea was of a deep blue shade, matching the sky. Not a single cloud could be seen on the horizon.

You walked in silence for a while, until you were quite far from the rest of the Narnians. You reached a little river that came falling into the sea, its sweet water mingling with the salt of the ocean.

Edmund stopped next to the river, where the water was the less deep, and you imitated him.

“Do you have everything you need to repair your ship?” you asked after another moment of silence.

“Yes, thank you very much,” Edmund smiled. “We should soon be ready to leave.”

You nodded slowly, looking down at the water that flowed next to your feet. They had been on the island for… just a week now. But you had grown fond of them already, and your heart was saddened by their departure.

Then, his face crossed your mind, and for a moment, you thought you were about to cry…

“I wish we had more time though,” Edmund said behind you, and you turned to him again.

“Everything has an end,” you shrugged.

He smiled.

“Your words always sound wise,” he pointed out.

“I don’t think I’m wise though,” you shook your head.

“Really? Why not?”

“I’ve barely seen anything but this island. And the sky. But it’s not the same as a land full of people.”

“You want to go away from here?” Edmund asked, raising a surprised eyebrow.

You looked down at your feet again, fidgeting with the fabric of your dress.

“I don’t know if I could be brave enough to do that…” you confessed. “I… I long to see the world but… I’m afraid to do it as well. This place is my home. What if I never come back?”

Edmund nodded.

“I understand how you feel,” he said softly.

“It must be hard for you to travel back and forth between Narnia and your world,” you nodded.

“We’ll see what happens about that,” Edmund said elusively, brushing your remark away.

He took a step closer to you. You felt uncomfortable all of a sudden as Edmund stood just inches away from you.

“You’re very beautiful today, Y/N,” he said softly, and he raised his hand towards your face.

You took a step back, stepping into the cold water. But you didn’t even notice the frozen water hitting your skin. You didn’t feel the flat rocks under your feet.

There was a glint in the King’s eyes that had changed. His look was slightly different. As if… as if he wasn’t looking at a friend anymore.

“Edmund…” you breathed.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, and you could see that he was earnest.

“I don’t feel that way…” you whispered.

“It’s okay. Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to try anything. I understood.”

A small smile appeared on his lips.

“I guess he wins then,” Edmund said slowly.

“Who wins?” you asked, frowning.

He raised an eyebrow.

“You really have no idea?”

You took another step back, gasping.

“But…”

“Perhaps you should talk to him,” he proposed, his smile still on his lips.

“But… I… I can’t…”

You felt tears in the corners of your eyes. You turned on your heels without thinking.

You could hear Edmund’s voice in the distance, but you kept on running and running… You couldn’t stop. You didn’t feel the water turning into sand, the sand turning into earth and then sand again. You didn’t feel the branches breaking under your feet, you didn’t feel the wind hitting your cheeks. You couldn’t feel anything. You were terrified, panic making your heart beat even faster than your running.

When you stopped, your legs gave way, and you fell on your knees. You stared at the ocean before you. Your eyes fell upon the water right before you, and through the transparent liquid, your eyes distinguished the shy colours of coral. Some little fishes were swimming just under the surface.

You heaved a long sigh, burying your face in your hands.

You were not supposed to be in love with him…

———————————————————————————-

When he saw Edmund running towards him, he knew something was wrong.

Caspian hurried to meet the boy, worry painted all over his face.

“What’s wrong?” he urged the King of Old.

“Have you seen Y/N?” Edmund asked.

Caspian grew paler.

“No, I haven’t. Why?” Caspian said slowly.

“I don’t know where she ran…” Edmund told him.

He checked around him, but the two men were alone.

“I talked to her, and I understood that I had no chance with her. I thought… I thought it was because of you, but when I made an allusion she just… panicked and she ran away.”

“What?!” Caspian roared, his cheeks growing paler and paler. “How could you dare speak to her about this?!”

“Caspian…”

“How Edmund!” Caspian roared.

“I’m sorry! I thought she liked you!” Edmund replied in the same tone. “I thought that was why she was pushing me away.”

“Where did you last see her?” Caspian asked, his voice urging.

“Near the river crossing, at the beach. On the south side of the Island.”

“I know where it is.”

Before Edmund could speak another word, Caspian was running towards the beach.

He kept on running when his lungs were burning and his legs grew sore. His brown eyes were searching for you everywhere. He crossed half the Island, calling your name, panic rising in his chest a bit more at every step he took without any sign of you.

And finally he saw you.

You were still sitting on the beach, your arms wrapped around your legs and your chin resting upon your knees. Your eyes were set upon the soft waves that crashed upon your bare feet.

Your name got caught in his throat at the sight of you.

Slowly, he walked closer to you, his footprints following him in the sand. You seemed to be lost too deeply into your thought to notice his movements, and you remained motionless as he came next to you.

“Y/N?” he called very softly.

But you didn’t reply, and he wondered if you had heard him.

“Y/N, we need to talk,” he said more loudly.

You finally turned slowly towards him, but your expression was blank, your gaze filled with void.

“Is it true?” you asked, your tone neutral. “What Edmund said…”

“I’m sorry about what he said,” Caspian interrupted you. “It was completely inappropriate and…”

“Is it true?” you asked again, and this time you were the one to interrupt him.

Caspian swallowed hard.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said softly.

“To me, it does.”

“Y/N…”

“Is it true? Do you see… not a friend in me? Something else…?”

Caspian looked down at his feet. He seemed to be ashamed of himself.

“Caspian… please…” you insisted, your voice soft now.

But he shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he shook his head, looking at you again. “It doesn’t matter at all because… because you deserve better.”

You frowned slightly, and he heaved a long sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. When he looked at you again, his jaw was clenched and his voice distant.

“I’m sorry about Edmund. Such behaviour shall not happen again, and I dearly hope that you can accept my apologies on both my and Edmund’s behalf. I’m sorry that he offended you.”

“He didn’t offend me,” you answered, your neutral tone back in your voice.

“Good. I’m relieved.”

“But Caspian… About what Edmund said…”

“Forget it.”

“He was wrong then. I thought he was…” you said slowly, resting your eyes upon the ocean again, and there was both sadness and disappointment in your voice.

Caspian looked at you for a while, letting a heavy silence settle between the two of you. He fought a fierce battle within his mind for a while, trying to decide if it was worth risking to lose you forever.

But then… he guessed you could never be together anyway…

“Edmund was not wrong,” Caspian said softly.

You looked up at him again, quickly turning towards him.

You remained silent, staring at the king as he kneeled down in the sand next to you. He was blushing, a sheepish expression painted on his handsome face.

“I’m sorry,” he said slowly.

“What are you sorry for?” you asked back, your voice delicate and soothing.

“I cannot control the way I feel for you. Although, I know that I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I guess… you don’t have the right to love a mortal man.”

“I don’t think I have the right to do so, no,” you whispered.

He nodded, looking down at the sand between the two of you.

“I’ve never expected you to feel the same as I do,” he said, and you knew that he was earnest. “I simply… I simply wish that you could see a friend in me.”

“I’m not sure of what I see in you anymore.”

He stared at you again, his brown eyes capturing your gaze and soul.

“I don’t want to depart while you are angry against me,” he said softly.

But you shook your head.

“I’m not angry against you, Caspian.”

You stared at each other in silence again. But you didn’t need to speak for Caspian to know that you had feelings for him. Feelings that were new to you, and that you were afraid of. And yet, you felt happy by his side, and these feeling that scared you made also your heart light and free.

But reality was not to be forgotten easily…

“Caspian… I can’t leave.”

“I know.”

“I can’t leave this island.”

“I know you can’t.”

“I can’t follow you to Narnia.”

“I know you can’t, Y/N.”

He brushed a strand of your untamed hair, pushing it behind your ear, and his fingers lingered on the side of your cheek.

Your heart skipped a beat, and so did his.

“But I know that you’ll come walking in my dreams for a long while still,” he said softly. “Even if we can never be together… My heart will always be yours. It has always been yours. Since that night where you walked barefoot into my sleep. I’ll never forget you. I’ll see your face in the light of the sun, and your smile in the sea. I’ll smell your scent in the night, and feel your soft gaze upon me if I look up at the stars. You’ll always be with me, you’ve been for a long while. I do not regret our meeting. I thought I was going mad… I searched for you everywhere for years…”

Your lips parted slightly at so many confessions, but he ignored your reactions.

“At least I know it wasn’t a mere dream. I know you were real,” he went on. “And it’s enough.”

“Is it really enough though?” you asked quietly.

He gave you a sad smile.

“I just want your happiness. And I know this place is important to you.”

“All my life, I’ve longed to leave this place and see the world with my own eyes. See it in real.”

“But you’re bound to this land. It’s your home. What if you can’t come back?”

You looked at the coral, barely visible under the soft waves.

“I feel like my feet are stuck into the sand,” you said softly. “And I wish to free myself, but I can’t. I’m like coral on a rock under the water. I’m afraid I would die if I left. I’m afraid to die if I love you.”

Caspian clenched his jaw, resting a hand on your shoulder. And when you turned towards him, he had tears in his eyes, but there was a determined glint in his glance as well, buried under the veil of salty tears.

“I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you,” he said earnestly. “I would die to keep you safe. I almost died that day for you…”

You frowned slightly, and he smiled.

“You’re the only reason why I didn’t die there, on the Dark Island. I couldn’t die before seeing you again and yet… yet I took all the risks that were necessary to make sure that you would be safe.”

You closed your eyes, tears tightening your throat. But he took your face in his hands, and forced you to look up at him.

“It’s alright,” he whispered. “I’d rather have you here, safe… I don’t think I could live without knowing that you’re fine, even if you have to remain on the other side of the world to be protected. And who knows, perhaps you’ll come for real in one of my dreams again one day… Perhaps someday my dreams of you will not be mere fantasies. Perhaps you’ll come to me again, just like you did that night…”

You were crying by now, and you held on his forearms for dear life.

“I don’t want you to leave,” you whispered.

“But I can’t stay,” he shook his head. “My people need me. I’m a King, I can’t let them down. Even if I would stay if I could. Even if I love you with every fiber of my being.”

You closed your eyes, and you felt his brow resting against yours. You rested your palms upon his cheeks, his beard brushing against your skin in a way that sent shivers run up your spine.

“Y/N…” he breathed.

But before he could add anything else, you pressed your lips to his. You didn’t know what you were doing, you had never kissed anyone before, but his soft lips resting against yours were enough to make your head spin. When he started to move slowly his lips against yours, you moaned, leaning into his embrace as he wrapped one of his strong arms around you, holding you close to his chest.

When his lips grazed upon your bottom lip, you completely lost your mind. You felt like you were flying.

You parted your lips for him, and then you understood. It was as if you had lived for all your life with a part of you missing, and you were suddenly fully yourself again. And you knew you would long for this feeling for the rest of your life.

When you finally pulled away, there was a grin you couldn’t control crossing your face. For a moment, you were not thinking about what would happen tomorrow, you were fully enjoying this moment.

And it felt good to just live without thinking about consequences for once.

You heard Caspian let out a low chuckle, and you finally opened your eyes to meet his. But his eyes were slightly narrowed, as if he was dazzled by the light of the sun.

“What is it?” you asked softly, still running a hand through his hair.

He let his fingertips draw the outlines of your face.

“You’re shining, Y/N. You’re shining brighter than any star I’ve ever seen up there in the Heavens. You’re shining so brightly, Y/N…”


	4. Everlasting

They were ready to leave just three days later. But _you_ were not ready. You were not ready to let go of him. The more you spent time with him, the more you were certain of your feelings for him.

You loved him, and you knew there was no turning back.

You would never find back this quiet life of yours. From now on, you would see his dark eyes in the night. You would hear his voice in the stormy wind. And everything you would see in the ocean from now on was a thing that kept you away from him.

If you stayed, you would regret it forever. But what if you left?

You would probably never come home again. You would never see Liliandil again. What if you couldn’t leave the Island? What if you died if you tried to leave?

You had no idea what to do next… Stay or leave?

But Caspian had taken this decision in your stead anyway. He wouldn’t hear about you leaving the Island. He knew it was your decision to take, but he would never risk anything to happen to you. He was ready to let go of you, if it meant protecting you.

So when the day of his departure came, you were not to follow him to Narnia. You were to remain on this Island you had lived on all your life, while he went back to this faraway land he had to lead.

You met him on the beach, at the same place where he had confessed his love for you. He was standing there already when you arrived, his long hair caught into the wind and colliding with his cheeks now and then, but he didn’t seem to mind. His dark brown eyes were set upon the sea, but you knew he couldn’t see anything. He was lost in thought.

You walked closer to him, and he looked at you as you reached for his hand, your fingers intertwining with his.

“It’s almost time,” he said softly, resting his lips upon your hair.

“I know,” you whispered resting your free hand upon his upper arm.

“I have to go.”

“I know.”

“Will you come to the beach to see us go?”

You shook your head.

“I couldn’t… I’m not strong enough to watch you…”

Your voice broke and he wrapped his strong arms around you, holding you close to his chest, and you could feel his heart beating against your own.

“I understand, it’s okay,” he whispered in you ear.

“There must be something we can do… Caspian, perhaps I should go with you…”

“We’ve talked about this before, Y/N.”

“I know… I know but I can’t let you go…”

He held your face in his hands, forcing you to look up at him.

“I can’t stay,” he said softly. “And you can’t leave.”

“But…”

“You can’t. You can’t do this for me. I don’t want you to do it.”

He smiled, the back of his fingers brushing your cheek.

“I love you,” he said softly. “I love you and I always will.”

“There must be a way, Caspian. We can’t live like this,” you protested, shaking your head.

But he closed his eyes, resting his forehead against yours.

“Promise me I’ll see you again in one of my dreams,” he whispered, his lips so close to yours that you could feel his warm breath tickle your chin and mouth. “Promise me you’ll come again walk into one of my dreams. Promise me, Y/N.”

You nodded slowly, feeling tears rising to your eyes.

“I promise,” you breathed.

“Then it’s all I will need. It’ll be enough.”

“I’m not sure it will be enough for me.”

“Come often then,” he replied, and you could feel despite your closed eyes that he was smiling.

“We can’t be living only in our dreams.”

“I’ve done so for years.”

You looked up at him again.

“Caspian…”

He heaved a sigh, opening his eyes again.

“Maybe I should go with you,” you said.

“It’s too dangerous.”

“No, it’s not.”

You narrowed your eyes, suspicious all of a sudden.

“Unless… you don’t want me to come…”

But he shook his head, brushing a lock of your hair away from your face.

“Oh Y/N… You know I would do anything to make you come with me to Narnia.”

“But?”

“But you will regret it one day. One day you will long for this land you’ve known all your life. You will long for your friend you can’t see anymore. And what then?”

You looked down at your feet. He was right, you knew he was.

“I need to go, Y/N,” he said, looking up at the sun.

You wrapped your arms around him, holding him tightly against you.

You couldn’t let him go…

“I love you,” he repeated over and over again. “I love you, Y/N…”

But you never said it back. You couldn’t. You just held on him as tightly as you could. Perhaps if you held him tightly enough, he would never leave.

But then you felt him slowly freeing himself from your tight embrace.

“I have to go now, Y/N,” he said.

He kissed your forehead, resting his lips there for a long while, struggling to part from you. But eventually he pulled away, and spun around, striding away from you.

He could hear that you were crying.

But he didn’t want to remember your tears. And he didn’t want you to remember his either.

——————————————————————————————

You were standing on the edge of the cliff, looking at the men and women hurrying across the beach. They looked tiny as you stared at them from far above the ground. They were preparing their departure, loading the longboats with fruits and other goods they would need for their long journey.

But your eyes were not set upon the women and men hurrying here and there. They were fixed on only one man, that commanded his men and guided them to charge the boats.

You didn’t turn around when you heard your friend walking to join you, and for a moment, you remained there, both of you standing still in silence.

But finally Liliandil spoke. And her voice was not as soft as it usually was.

“You didn’t listen to me,” she said gravely.

“I did…” you tried to protest, but she interrupted you.

“You love him.”

You didn’t answer and kept on staring at Caspian as he walked from one boat to the other.

“You fell in love with him, when I warned you to stay away from men…”

“He doesn’t have bad intentions towards me,” you defended both yourself and Caspian.

“But he is breaking your heart all the same.”

You clenched your jaw.

“He can’t stay,” Liliandil said slowly. “We’ve known this since the beginning…”

“I know.”

“And yet you let yourself drown into him…”

“Liliandil… it’s more complicated than you think it is.”

“How can you know he’s earnest? How can you know he really loves you?”

You glared at her.

“Caspian loves me,” you replied angrily.

“How can you know?”

“He told me so. Several times. And there was no lies in his eyes.”

“He has known you just for a few days.”

You looked away again, trying to hide the truth. But Liliandil was not fooled.

“What are you hiding from me?” she asked.

“Nothing,” you replied.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“It’s none of your business.”

She rested a hand on your shoulder, and you looked at her again.

“Y/N, what are you hiding from me? And why are you hiding it? You’re my best friend…”

You looked sheepishly at the ground.

“I disobeyed,” you said softly. “During the war against Miraz, do you remember?”

“How could I forget such terrible times?”

“I know we don’t have the right to interact with Narnians…”

Her eyes grew wide in horror.

“You went into one of his dreams?!” she breathed, horrified.

“Miraz’s men were closing on him and his men. They would have been killed. And then the Narnians would have lost all hope…”

“We don’t have the right to do this!”

“I know. And I knew you would react this way, and that’s precisely why I didn’t tell you anything.”

Liliandil heaved a sigh, forcing herself to calm down.

“You should have told me.”

“What for?”

She didn’t reply, knowing there was no legitimate reason.

“He never forgot me,” you breathed, looking up at her again. “For all these years, he never forgot me, and he said that he has looked for me through all Narnia. And I…”

You looked at Caspian again, as he helped some of the elder women to climb into one of the longboats.

“…I never forgot him either.”

As you stood there staring at him, your eyes filled with withheld tears, Liliandil finally realized that your feelings for him were real. And she decided that there was no use in giving you a lecture. You were suffering enough already.

“Did you tell him?” she asked softly.

“Told him what?”

“That you love him?”

You clenched your jaw, shaking your head.

“I couldn’t…” you whispered.

“You should tell him before he leaves.”

You shook your head.

“I can’t… I won’t be able to let him go if I talk to him again.”

“Then don’t.”

You looked at her intensely. But you knew perfectly what she meant without inviting her to continue.

“What will happen to me if I leave the Island?” you asked softly.

Liliandil shrugged.

“This land is not a prison. You were just too afraid to leave it before. Are you still afraid now?”

You looked at Caspian once more.

“Yes, I am afraid,” you whispered.

“But is your fear greater than your sorrow?”

A smile curved up your lips, and you shook your head.

“What are you waiting for then?”

You looked at her with a new sadness in your eyes, but Liliandil laughed.

“Do not be sad over me, we shall see each other again,” she reassured you, taking your hands in yours. “If not in this life, then in the next one.”

You smiled at her, holding her in your arms.

“Thank you,” you whispered, before pulling away.

And as you ran away, climbing down the cliff through this narrow path you had walked across a thousand times, you didn’t look behind you. You didn’t look back at the life you were leaving, your eyes were fixed on the path that laid before you.

You were terrified at the idea of leaving, but you were devastated at the idea of staying.

You didn’t have a choice. No matter what Caspian could tell. Liliandil had basically given you her blessing, she had told you it was safe for you to leave this Island, this Island you knew like the back of your hand.

It was time for you to discover new worlds you had never seen.

When he saw you running across the beach, Eustace nudged Caspian, and the King turned towards you. He dropped the bag full of fruits he was holding to catch you as you jumped in his arms, and he swept you off of your feet.

You pressed your lips against his before he could have a chance to speak, and he had no choice but to hold you even more tightly against him, kissing you just as fervently as you were kissing him.

When you finally pulled away, both of you breathless, you merely buried your face in the crook of his neck, as he still carried you in his arms.

“So… you came after all,” he smiled. “I’m glad you did.”

But you shook your head.

“I’m leaving with you.”

“Y/N…”

“It’s my life,” you said looking at him, staring at his deep brown eyes. “It’s my life and I’m free to decide what to do with it.”

“But… what about your friend? What about your home?”

“You’re my home.”

He finally put you down again, and held your face in his hands.

“Y/N…”

“I love you.”

Caspian couldn’t help but grin at your words.

“You can’t do this for me…”

“I’m doing it for myself as well.”

“Are you certain that it is what you want?”

You nodded.

“I’m scared to do it,” you admitted. “But I would forever regret it if I let you leave without me.”

“What if you died…”

“Liliandil said that I could leave. That it was my choice. And I’ve made my choice.”

“You can’t do this. Y/N… you can’t…”

“Don’t you want to be with me?”

“Of course I want to be with you, more than anything in this world. But I don’t want you to regret this one day.”

“I won’t regret it. I know I won’t.”

Your hands that rested on his chest turned into fists, and you held on his shirt for dear life.

“Take me with you,” you begged. “Caspian… Caspian, take me with you. I’ll follow you everywhere…”

But he shushed you by placing a soft kiss on your lips.

“I don’t deserve you,” he said with a sad smile.

But when he stood straighter again, he was grinning.

“If it is what you want. If it is safe for you… I’m not the one who’s going to complain.”

It was your time to grin.

“But there is a condition you must respect if you want to come to Narnia with me,” Caspian added.

“What is it?” you asked, tilting your head to the side.

“When we are in Narnia, you must become all mine.”

You gasped slightly.

“You must marry me, and be mine for this life, and all the lives we will share afterwards.”

You grinned, tears rolling down your cheeks as you nodded frantically.

“Alright then, let’s do that,” you breathed.

“I love you,” he said, approaching his face from yours again.

“I love you too, Caspian.”

And when he kissed you again, everyone around them cheered.

And Edmund couldn’t hold back a catcall, laughing merrily. For once, he was happy to lose…


End file.
